Why and when was Yellowstone national park created?

Answer 1

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872,[3],[4] is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. The Yellowstone was the first national park in the world, and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park.[1] It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is dominant.

Indigenous Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years. The region was bypassed during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. Aside from visits by mountain men during the early to mid-1800s, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to oversee the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468 square miles (8,980 km2), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges.[1] Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano; it has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism.[5] Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining, nearly intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.[6]

Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened.[1] The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzlies, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park burned. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobile.

Answer 2

The park, according to its founding legislation,

. . . is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale. . . and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. . . .

Answer 3

Legislation establishing this area as a federally protected site was signed into law on 1872 March 1.

By law, land designated as a national park must "Have relatively spacious land and water areas, so outstanding in quality and beauty as to make imperative their preservation by the federal government for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all people." If Yellowstone does not meet this criteria, then no place on our planet does.

Answer 4

Scientists are sure that two processes created Yellowstone. First, it is not normal for a mountain chain to exist so far from other plates, which are under California. Scientists think a plate submerged or subducted under the magma and pushed upward causing the mountains. Second, ice glaciers advancing and retreating caused the Grand Canyon and other major erosion seen there. Interesting to note, scientists believe rivers from the Appalachian Mountain erosion in the east carried sediments from the Appalachian Mountains to form sedimentary layers seen in Yellowstone.

Answer 5

Yellowstone was naturally made by the earth by water and the natural spreading of seeds from plants and trees and so came to be Yellowstone and as time passed it became more complex